Traces of the Silk Road in Northwest Europe
Prof Susan Whitfield,
University of East Anglia
Date: 18th of March 2026
Time: 20:00
Venue: Zoom
We think of the Silk Roads as a luxury trade route from East Asia to markets such as Damascus in Syria. But there is much more to this story. This trade involved diplomatic, religious and other contacts between different cultures as far as Europe.
About the speaker:
Professor Susan Whitfield is a leading scholar of the Silk Road, specializing in its historiography, art, and cultural exchange, having previously curated the British Library’s International Dunhuang Project (IDP) and authoring numerous influential books on the subject. Her research now focuses on expanding the understanding of Silk Road interactions and their impact on art and belief, as seen in her current project, Nara to Norwich. She is a Professor of Silk Road Studies at the University of East Anglia and lectures and writes widely on the topic for diverse audiences worldwide.
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